Desert Bloom: The Mummy's Conquest
by Anne Frazier-Johnston
Summary: Ten years have passed since the O'Connell's left the Scorpion King's desert. It is 1943 and war is covering the world, but their old firend Ardeth has come to London to seek their help. This time to find his lost child in the desert.
1. Chapter 1

It has been ten years since Rick and Evelyn O'Connell left the oasis in the desert and returned to what they hoped would be a normal or at least less mummified life in England. Returning to their home in London Evelyn decided that maybe a quiet life would help her and her men recuperate from their last adventure. She turned down the Bainbridge Scholars offer of a position at the British Museum and nestled in (with a number of good books) into being a homebody. Rick was at loss at first with what to do. He had never seen Evie like this. She was always the one wanting to go into the desert, but she was determined to have a little peace and quiet.

This lasted all of three weeks. It was almost summer vacation from school and Alex was finishing up his last weeks at school. Rick was doing some map hunting at museum for an oil company that Evie's Uncle Toby had interests in. Jonathan was out looking for an apartment in town. He was chomping at the bit to use some of the money from the sale of the diamond he had brought back. He and Izzie were going to split the proceeds as soon as the buyer and their lawyers came to a final price.

One afternoon when the house was still Evie was sitting alone in the big dark room that Rick called Evie's den. The room was comfortable with odds and ends that she had brought back with her from their many trips to Egypt. The walls were lined with hundreds of books that were a collection from three generations of her family's travels and scholarship

. As she sat in front of a small fire reading a new paper of colleague's on Seti I she began to hear a soft humming sound. She put the paper down and listened. It sounded like someone was humming the lullaby that her mother used to sing to her at bedtime. She looked up at the portrait of her parents that hung over the fireplace. It was if the picture were soft around the edges and suddenly her mother seemed to turn and look at her.

"Ah, my beautiful daughter," she said "you have been through so much these past months. I cannot tell you how proud both your father and I are of you. Of you, Rick and that son of yours. How Alex saved you and brought you back. When you crossed over to this side it opened up a small portal that I am using now to talk with you. For I must talk to you now. My child, I have come to tell you of something that is happening now on this side of life's curtain that neither your father nor I have the power to stop. You must guard that in the coming years a child will cause all that you hold dear to uproot and scatter. This child will bring a miserable soul back to the present to seek the power that it could not contain the last time it walked the earth. I cannot help you because this soul has already crossed over into a new being. We can only watch and be with you. Please, my beautiful girl, know that we are here and close and that we love you very much. Sleep now and when you wake you will remember what I said. "

Evie's eyes began to close and she dropped the papers from her hand and slept. As she dreamed her mother's voice came to her again, "I didn't want to tell you. I wanted it to surprise you, but your father has insisted. You are going to have a baby in about eight months. He wanted to tell you congratulations and to be careful. We love you."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter one

As war clouds gathered over Europe Evie and her family nestled into a routine that was both comforting and maddening to her. Rick she found had accepted a position with the War Department and seemed to be seldom home. She worried, but as long as he was still in London she felt secure. She began to work with the Bainbridge Scholars on their new wing at the museum. Although she tended to infuriate most of them with some of her peculiar ideas of history, they knew she was a top notch scholar and knew what she was about. Most of her eccentrics they just wrote off to the pregnancy and hormones. Alex applied himself to school and all his extra studies.

The twins were a surprise to everyone except Evie. Her mum had told her about Michael and Emily. She had decided not to worry Rick with the two for one deal. But everyone was delighted with the babies.

Months passed and then years. Life suddenly had become became an anxiety of when the war would begin and how. The O'Connell's kept pretty much the same pattern of life until the summer of 1943.

Alex was home from university and working part time or at least what seemed part time with the War Department as a driver for his Great Uncle Toby. Rick was gone on some sort of secret mission for the Department and Evie and the twins had been removed to Rosecrest Uncle Toby's country home away from the bombs of London.

Evie had refused to leave England and Rick. So they were all nestled in the big old rambling estate. The house was old and comfortable with many wonderful things that Evie remembered from her childhood visits. Like the stuffed polar bear in the hall and the mummy case in the dining room, but with the war and some air raids they had lost the electricity and some days the use of the phone. So in the middle of 1943 they were making do the candles and oil lamps and fireplaces and heating water on a wood stove. But the house was home and the grounds were a refuge that many people in London were without. The O'Connell's counted themselves more than lucky.

One hot afternoon Evie had snuggled into a big chair in the library hoping to read an old book she had recently discovered on one of the high shelves. Evie was a little bored. Rick had been gone for about three months and she had no idea where he was this time. She couldn't even get Uncle Toby to tell her where he had been sent this time, not even when she had fixed him his favorite dinner and brought his slippers and pipe and the best port after dinner.

On top of the worry about Rick, Michael and Emily were just getting over a bad case of chicken pox. The disease had run its course of fever, blisters and itching. Now the twins were almost well, but they had stay down for another few days. Evie felt that these next few days would probably be the worst yet because they were feeling better but bored beyond belief.

She felt that if she played another game of I Spy she was going to go raving mad. And to top it off for the last couple of days she had been feeling out of sorts herself. She hoped it wasn't a summer cold. That would be all she needed right now. Settling in with the book she looked out the French doors into the east rose garden.

She looked at the small group of people sitting under the big tree that was the first tree that lead into a grove on the eastern side of Rosecrest. The garden itself was a blaze of color from the multitudes of roses from which Rosecrest got its name. The garden had become a colorful jumble these passed years with only Malcolm, the old gardener and Uncle Toby to tend to the grounds. Since the war began all able bodied young men had gone to fight. Now Rosecrest was kept with just the small family household plus Malcolm and his wife Emma who had been with Uncle Toby for years.

Evie looked at each of the four people as they sat in shade out of afternoon heat. Uncle Toby was settled on the wide high backed marble bench with his cane lying on its side on the seat. As always his wide brimmed straw hat was cocked over his eyes to the left and the ever dangling cigarette in a holder was in his right hand. Today he had on a light summer suit and Evie could see the brightness of a sky blue tie. She knew that the color of the tie would be to bring out the color in his baby blue eyes. Although she couldn't hear what he was saying she was sure that he had the full attention of the other three sitting under the tree.

Rashid, Uncle Toby's assistant was to his left sitting stiff and tall in one of white wicker chairs. Also, in a white suit Rashid looked uncomforable and a little out of place. Evie couldn't tell if it was his dark good looks of his Egyptian ancestry or maybe his unnatural stiff posture. He looked as though he were absolutely intent on what Toby was saying, but Evie knew that one of his assistant chores was also as a bodyguard and he would be ready to spring into action in a second or less.

As for the other two Evie was sure they were both completely captivated with what Uncle Toby was lecturing about this time. Alex and Evie's secretary Leslie Robinson were sitting in front of Toby's bench on a big blanket on the ground. Alex propped with pillows was in hiking shorts and a short sleeve shirt. Lying on the tall stack of pillows he had his arms crossed on his chest and his legs stretched out in front of him. His blonde hair glistened although Evie thought it was in need of a haircut. It tended to curl down into the collar of his shirt. His skin was a light bronze from the work that he had been putting in helping Malcolm with the grounds and the garden.

Evie saw him flash a quick grin at Uncle Toby. His curls shook over his forehead and Evie was sure he needed that haircut. Shaking his head he reached up to remove the glasses that he had began to wear a couple of years earlier. She knew he would take out a clean white handkerchief to clean them and put them back on with a slow push up his nose with the ring finger of his left hand. It was a nervous habit more than a pair of glasses needing cleaning. She wondered what they were talking about to make Alex fidget. the glass gesture was the only indication ever of Alex feeling nervous or uncomfortable. She wondered if anyone else was aware of the habit. The glass cleaning over Alex sat a little straighter and said something to Uncle Toby.

Toby looked at the young man and shook his head. He reached out and tried to pat Alex on the shoulder, but the boy just shrugged it off. Evie thought they were probably talking about Alex not being able to enlist. The fact that Alex could not serve in the armed forces because of the broken arm he had gotten in the desert when he was twelve. The arm had not been set right and as a result he had problems lifting his arm higher than his shoulder most days. This left him no good for military service and Evelyn knew that caused him to feel that he wasn't doing anything for England in its hours of need. But Evie herself felt better for having Alex home with Rick gone who knew where.

Leslie was sitting with her back to Alex, but still in Uncle Toby sightline. She was also fair with a short bob of blonde hair in an almost manly cut Evie thought, but there wasn't anything masculine about Leslie's figure. She was a tall, but round young woman whose roundness was all curves and not fat. She was pleasant looking without being pretty but her brown eyes and dark lashes and eyesbrows gave her a definite handsomeness.

Evie had hired her at the end of last school term. She had just graduated with a degree in Egyptology and was an expert in several Middle Eastern languages. She had worked with Evie at the British Museum. Besides Evie knew that the girl was without a job or anywhere to go now that the small scholarship that she had for university was gone. She was an orphan that had been raised by a maiden Aunt that had died during Leslie's last term at school. Working as Evie's secretary and assistant she seemed to fit quiet well into the household here at Rosecrest. She was out spoken and held her own well in the all the discussions and enterable arguments that always seemed to go on.

Evelyn looked again at the papers in her hand trying to decide whether to keep reading or join the others in the garden or maybe even take a short nap to help get rid of a headache she had been fighting all morning. As she looked up she noticed that Rashid had gone from the group and that both Toby and Alex were now standing although the animated discussion seemed to be still in progress.

Suddenly out of trees three people came into view. Two were dressed in the loose black caftans of the Madji and one man was dressed as Uncle Toby in a light white summer suit, but covered with a loose dark blue cloak of the desert. Both Toby and Alex turned to the trio. Evie smiled.

I wonder what brings Ardeth to London, she thought as she rose to go into the garden to meet her old friend. As she stood. Then the headache that had been with her seem to explode in the top of her head. Blinking back the pain a bit she headed out the French doors.


	3. Chapter 3

As Evie walked toward the group Uncle Toby was shaking hands with the man in the suit and both seemed very happy to see each other. Ardeth and the other black clad man were standing talking to Alex.

"Ardeth" called Evie coming up to him. "How nice to see you. It's been forever, but how did you get here with the war going on?"

All at once Rashid charged out of the trees at Uncle Toby and the older man. Getting to them he seemed to be brought up short.

"Grandfather" he cried grabbing the suited man and hugging him.

"Rashid, Rashid" said the old man "I thought I heard you tramping around in the trees as we came up. I knew we had seen you sitting with Tobias as we approached."

Evie looked at the group, especially Ardeth and wondered where this old home week gathering was going to lead her.

"Well, Gentlemen would you all like some tea while you tell me what brings you thousands of miles to a strange country in the middle of a world war? I know it isn't for the company of old friends and even grandsons."

"My what a hot afternoon" Evie smiled before she passed out.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Evie felt someone take hold of her hand and give it a little squeeze. She knew she was lying down. Should she be lying down? All she could remember was the garden, the hot summer sun and a headache pressing hard behind her eyes. Why were her eyes closed? She opened her eyes, hesitating, because of sun that she knew would hit them.

But, she opened her eyes to darkness and the soft coolness of fresh sheets and soft lavender scent of her bedroom. She tried to raise her head, but a sharp pain made her tuck back into the pillow and close her eyes.

"Ah" said a soft voice. "So you have come back to us. To tell the truth even though the good doctor said that we should just let you rest, I was beginning to worry a little." Evie knew that the voice belonged to Uncle Toby and he was the one that was holding her hand.

"Uncle Toby" she managed to croak out. "What the world happened? How long I have been gone?"

"Well, the doctor said that he believed that you just passed out from to much sun, heat and two weeks of twins with chicken pox. For how long, well, my dear it is going on five and well past tea. By the way, could I have Emma bring you up some? Why don't you see if you can raise yourself because we really need to talk."

Uncle Toby got up from the chair that had been placed beside her bed. He insisted that she stay put until she a least had some tea. Leaving her propped on a mound of pillows he left to see that she get some tea.

Sitting in the darken room Evie began to remember the scene in the garden. She remembered the strange men. No that wasn't right. One of the men was Ardeth. Now what was Ardeth doing here in England and in her garden in June?

Just then the door from her dressing room crash open. Emily and Michael came rushing to her bed.

"Oh, Mummy we are just so sorry," wailed Emily clutching at Evie's hand. Michael just stood back from the bed with a licked puppy look while Emily threw herself beside Evie and cried as though her heart would break.

"For goodness sake what is wrong with the both of you and why were you in my dressing room?" said Evie patting her daughter's back. "No hush Emily and would one of you tell me what is going on?"

But it was no use. Although Emily began to calm down neither of the children would say one word about what had made them so upset. Evie tried to explain that she was just a little tired with a very bad headache. She assured them that the sun caused her to pass out, but they just wouldn't say another word.

As if on cue Uncle Toby came back into the room followed by Leslie pushing a loaded tea cart. Alex stuck his head around the corner of the open door with questions written all over his face.

"Oh, do come in whoever is out there" called Evie. "Let's just have tea in here and see what earth shaking news that Uncle Toby has, but first can someone tell me what is wrong with the twins? Alex do come in and help me with them."


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

Tea ended in the small study that Evie used just across the hall from her and Rick's bedroom. As the sun was setting outside Emma came to close the curtains and take the tea tray away. Evie was propped in a big chair by the fireside with the twins curled at her feet both huddled in close to their mother. They seemed still in shock by Ardeth's news.

Ardeth and Alex were seated on a sofa across from Evie while Leslie was in a straight backed chair that she had placed next to Evie. Rashid and his Grandfather were standing at the fireplace. The young man that had been introduced to Evie as Falcon, Ardeth's eldest son stood slightly behind the small sofa where Uncle Toby sat. Evie had noticed how the young man seemed to prefer the shadow of the room and that he had little to add to the conversation, but she could tell by his attitude that he was like a crouched cat ready to pounce.

"I think I see where this is going" said Evie. "You need one of us to come with you to the desert, again."

As the group had begun their afternoon tea Ardeth had knelt by Evie's chair and with blazing eyes had begun to describe six months of terror for his family. That terror had brought him, his son and his father's oldest friend Oded to seek out Rick and Evelyn's help.

The story began he said in the early winter of the last year. He and his brother had taken their families into the far desert at the beginning of the German's desert campaign. Hiding out at a far oasis they had been living quietly and frugally for over a year only seldom going to any village for what they might need. Sometimes they would entertain other of the Madji. This was seldom and both families were content to wait out the European's war. Ardeth said they had taken some of the Madji relics with them for safe keeping.

Then in January with the beginning of the New Year a Madji priest had come to them for sanctuary he said. He was being pursued by another sect that wanted the two scrolls that he had brought with him. Ardeth's brother had not wanted him to stay, but the law of the Madji could not let him be turned away.

So the priest had stayed. As the days wore on the quiet family community settled in at their hidden home. Even the priest helped with the chores and finally they accepted his place with them. The scrolls that he had brought were hidden and not talked about again. As the New Year began to unfold Ardeth began to notice that his daughter Nyat was beginning to act different.

At first he put if off to a young girl beginning to become a woman. He knew that since her mother's death that this daughter seemed to feel the loss more than the other children had. She was a plain girl of almost sixteen. She was quiet and withdrawn, always seeming to prefer her own company. Even when she helped her aunt and the others with the chores she did not join in the happy chatter and gossip. Since Ardeth had spent most of the children's growing time away from home he thought maybe he was just reading something into the distance that Nyat was putting between herself and the rest of the group.

The days turned into to many weeks and the camp established a routine of chores and relaxation. Ardeth and Falcon practiced their fighting skills and horsemanship each day. They patrolled and kept all their armaments in top condition. Ardeth's brother who was an amateur archeologist kept his journals, read and explored the surrounding hills when he wasn't working on the small garden that he had planted. Being a doctor had kept him busy in the city, but his medical ability had seldom been called on here. Ardeth's sister-in-law and her mother ran the household such as it was with the help of Ardeth's two daughters, Nyat and Sophia. The couple had looked after the girls since the death of their mother when Sophia was but a baby. The couple had no children of their own. The priest studied and read when not helping with the camp.

In early March the camp had a scare one night when a group of men on horseback approached. Ardeth, Falcon and the brother Baniti made ready to defend when a falcon flew into camp. Attached to its leg was a message from the leader of the 12 tribes.

The men came into camp. They had brought supplies to the family and news. They said they were to take the priest with them to another hidden location. The scrolls that he was hiding needed to be in a more guarded place. As the men sat around the fire after eating they smoking and talking Ardeth noticed that the priest was not present. He suspected that the priest had gone into the hills to hide at the approach of the horsemen.

Ardeth sent Falcon to look for the priest and to bring him back to the camp, but he returned within minutes saying that neither the priest nor Nyat could be found. Not wanting to think the worst, but with thoughts a father with a young daughter will have Ardeth, Falcon and a few of the other men went in search of the missing pair.

The night was clear and the stars were bright although a cool wind was blowing off the desert. Ardeth hoped the breeze would not rise until they had found Nyat and the priest. The men split into two parties and began to comb through the small hills that rose from the oasis site. Not wanting their voices to carry into the desert the groups scoured the terrain as quiet as ghosts.

After hours of searching Ardeth was amazed that the pair had not been found. The men had gone over every inch of the hills. He was sure that they had not left a stone unturned. He had almost decided to just wait them out when one of the men ran into camp. He called out that Falcon needed Ardeth to come quickly. He had found the priest and his daughter.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

The man lead them back into the small valley at the center of the hills where a small spring bubbled and then went underground only to emerge into the shallow pond that was the center of the oasis on the west side of the hills.

Ardeth looked around, but couldn't see anything except the basin of water in the growing dawn. He thought maybe the man had lost his way when Falcon seemed to just appear from the rocks behind the spring. Falcon raised his arm and motioned his father to him while putting his hand to his lips for quiet.

Ardeth motioned to the others to stay back and went to Falcon. When he got to the young man he could see that there was a split between the rocks where his son stood. It was like an optical illusion unless you were right upon the split. Falcon motioned him to follow.

The two men pulled themselves through a narrow opening into a tunnel. A shadowed light came from the other end. Falcon lead his father into the glowing light. After walking several yards the walls began to widen into a carven and the light grew brighter.

As Ardeth's eyes focused in the light he could see that the tunnel had become a small cave. The light came from several lanterns placed on ledges around the crowded room-like chamber. At first he didn't see either the priest or Nyat. Suddenly he saw his daughter as she turned away from a broad shelf in the rocks. He knew it was his daughter Nyat, but he had to pause and take a long look because she didn't seem to be exactly his daughter.

The plain and plump young girl seemed to have thinned some and her face had taken on almost triangle appearance, but her eyes were not the eyes of quiet shy Nyat. These eyes were almost snake like in their hard and icy black glare.

"Father" she said in a voice that Ardeth knew was not his daughter's. "You surprise me. I had expected to be back before anyone missed me. I must have spent too much time one the priest. He just did not want to accommodate me, but I had to insist."

With those words Nyat seemed to collapse in on herself and fell to the floor in a faint. Ardeth could see the body of the priest on the ledge behind where she lay. It was apparent that he was dead and had died very bloodily. Ardeth picked up his daughter and with the help of Falcon left the cave.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

Later after leaving Nyat at the camp with her aunt and sister Ardeth joined Bahiti, Falcon and some of the men back at the cave. They had waited for him before trying to remove the body or explore any of the cave.

"We have waited for you" said his brother. "Although Falcon wanted to plunge right back into the cave, the men were hesitate of any magic that may be in there."

"Magic?" questioned Ardeth.

"Yes, Father" answered Falcon. "I saw the scrolls in there on the ledge near the body. I thought it best that the men wait for you to determine if we should all try to go in." Ardeth looked at this son and smiled with a slight shake of his head. He had noticed that the young man had made it plain that it was only the men whom he wanted to keep out of the cave and not himself.

"For now just your uncle Bahiti and I will go into the cave. You and the men stay here" Ardeth said. Falcon began to open his mouth to protest, but Ardeth looked at him with one raised eyebrow and Falcon turned back to stay with the men by the spring.

The cave had begun to smell the copper smell of new blood. Ardeth lead the way into the chamber. Some of the candles had gone out, but there was enough light to see the body and the scrolls that were placed near the priests head.

"His throat has been cut" said the Bahiti, "but there didn't seem to be a struggle, although he apparently knew what was going on by the look on his face. I can't believe that quiet little Nyat would much less could do something like this."

"I know. This looks like some sort of ritual. Look how the scrolls are placed and how those bits of candle are arranged around the body. I remember something like this, but I don't know if it something I have seen or been told about."

"I will see what I can find out from the few books that I brought with me" said Bahiti. "Looking at this I am almost afraid to move any of this, especially after seeing that whatever was done has seemed to change our quiet little Nyat so much."

"Then that is what we will do. We will take the body for burial, but leave everything else. I think I know who can answer some of our questions. But, again, it is a matter of how I can get a message to them. Come, help me with the body and then let us get out of here; the air is beginning to grow thin."


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

The next few days were a jumble of arguing and of fear for Ardeth. The other Madji wanted to take the scrolls that they had come for from the cave and leave. Ardeth had to use all of his power of position to make them wait. He was also becoming more fearful each day for his daughter. Although Nyat seemed to be coming back to her old self Ardeth could still see every now and then a difference in the way she would look at someone or the way she would tilt her head as if waiting or listening for someone.

Nine days passed. Ardeth had sent one of the horsemen to the north to try and mail the letter he had written to his old friends the O'Connells. At this point he had little hope of reaching them even using all his powers and position of back alley friends in Cairo. On the evening of the ninth night since Nyat's disappearance the moon was full. The brightness was powerful even for a desert night.

Ardeth was troubled and didn't know why. He felt as if ants were crawling on his skin and he couldn't seem to scratch in the right place at the right time. Everyone was asleep in the tents. Most of the horsemen had left for the north leaving only two men to stay with the scrolls that were still in the cave. The Madji leader had made his men stay at the spring site so the family saw little of them.

As he and Falcon patrolled the camp a little breeze began to stir the palms and some of the tent flaps. The breeze was a little cold and Ardeth went to sit by the fire that was always kept burning in front of his brother's tent.

"Can't sleep brother?" Ardeth had heard his brother come out of the tent so he only turned his head toward the voice.

"Just sitting. Waiting for Falcon to come back. Then it is my turn to roam tonight."

The breeze was beginning to get stronger as the men talked. Sparks from the fire flickered into the air. Ardeth leaned over to bank the fire in the pit so no flame could cause a fire in the palms.

"The wind is beginning to rise. We had better secure the tents and put out the fire for now" said Baniti. At that moment Falcon appeared from the direction of the hills.

"Father, riders are approaching from the south. I counted twenty and they are coming fast" panted the young man.

"Quickly Falcon go to the men at the spring and tell them" began Ardeth.

A scream that seemed ripped from a thousand throats and brought by a hurricane of wind tore through the camp. It whipped the palms and up rooted the line that their horses were stabled to and blew apart the tent where the young girls were sleeping and thrashed at the others.

"Oh, my husband what is it?" cried the sister-in-law coming from the tent and rushing to her husband. Ardeth's girls were yelling from their collapsed tent. He turned to go to their help when he realized that only one voice was coming from the fabric.

"Father! Falcon! Someone come help me. Nyat where are you? Someone, please."

Ardeth knew that it was only his youngest daughter Sophia that called. He didn't hear anything from Nyat. Then he heard another voice come from the tent and began to breathe again. Tearing at the downed tent he quickly released Sophia, but when he uncovered the grumbling voice it was Aflia his brother's mother-in-law. Pawing through the material he knew he was not going to find Nyat, but he knew where he would find her.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"To the spring" he called to Falcon. To his Baniti and the startled women he said, "Stay here, but try to find a place to hide until we know who those riders are coming. We are going to find Nyat and find out what the scream was about."

The two men ran into the hills. The path was easy to see in the moonlight even with the wind still whipping the sand. As they came to the spring where the two Madji were no one was in sight. The camp looked peaceful and a small fire was still burning with a pot bubbling for tea. Falcon started toward the rock opening, but Ardeth held the young man back. He was beginning to sense something. The hair on his neck began to rise and a soft humming was stirring in his head. He wanted to shut his eyes and go to sleep.

Falcon looked at his father wanting to go into the cave; not wanting to be stopped.

"Father?" he asked. "What is wrong? Are you ill?"

Ardeth shook himself like a dog trying to dislodge water from his back. His ears began to clear and his sight came back to normal. He just shook his head at the boy and moved to go into the cave first. Taking a fire taper from the pit he pushed into the rock split.

The wind in the tunnel fought them all the way to where they had found Nyat the last time. The taper was quickly gone, but both men struggled on and into the corridor's opening.

Although the wind seemed to tumble through and over them as they entered the wide space they could see that Nyat was not disturbed by any wind. The two Madji were lying on the ground in front of the altar. The scrolls were in place and beyond belief the body of the priest was back again on the ledge. The body was decomposed beyond recognition, but Ardeth could tell it was the priest by his clothes and the one hand that hung over the side that still had on the Madji ring of the priesthood. Nyat had turned at the intrusion.

"Ah, Father, I see you are here to stop me again. Alas, this time it is too late." Nyat took what looked like a golden specter from beside the scrolls and waved it over the body of the priest. As if in slow motion the body began to twitch and slowly began to rise from the ledge. Nyat sung something to it in a language unknown to Ardeth.

"She told him to rise and kill us" said Falcon to his father without taking his eyes off his sister.

"Back out of here. Quickly." said Ardeth pushing at his son and trying to get down the tunnel without losing site of his daughter or the thing that she sent after them.

Ardeth broke free from the rocks pushing Falcon as they ran. The wind followed with a blinding force. Sand began to whip around them enclosing the men in a circle of lashing grit. Ardeth could hear the scream of the dead priest as it came after them.

"Run son" he called to Falcon.

"I don't know which way to run. I can't see. The sand is blinding me.

Ardeth heard the priest coming at them and pushed at the boy to move away from the sound. The wind was beating them taking both sight and breath. As they struggled away a new sound came from somewhere Ardeth thought to his left. It sounded like horses were running down the small valley. He knew that this couldn't be true for the valley entrance was too small for any animal as large as a horse to enter, but the thundering sound of hoof beats began to fill his head. The wind began to reach a peak in rhythm with the hoof beats and then just as suddenly as it had begun the wind was gone. The valley lay as if nothing had ever happened. The spring bubbled out of the rock and all was quiet.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

A groan came from the rock and Ardeth turned to see the two Madji stumble from the small opening. They held their heads and sank to the ground as soon as they were away from the rock.

"Father, what happened?"

"I don't know my son. I have seen wind like this before come and go as quickly. I hoped that I would never experience it again, but I am afraid that I have met with that evil again, here."

Ardeth looked around. There were no signs of Nyat or the dead priest. He went to help the men to their feet and braced himself to once again enter the cave, but he feared that he would find the cave empty. Telling Falcon to wait and help the Madji he began to enter the rock when he heard his name called from someone coming up the valley.

His brother and Sophia were running to him calling as they came. Something must have happened at the camp. He began to run towards them.

"Brother, it was unbelievable. They were there one minute and gone the next" said Baniti grabbing Ardeth by the shoulders as they met.

"Father, we were hid in the deep hole you dug for the vegetable cellar when we heard the horsemen come. The noise they made was truly unbelievable. I couldn't not look for it sounded as if they brought thunder with them as the rode. I looked out and they rode passed and into the valley. I knew there was no way for all those horses and men to come into this small space, but they did. I told Uncle and we both followed."

"Yes" said Baniti. "We fought the sand and wind, but when we got here they were gone and all was quiet."

Sophia stood looking at her father waiting for an explanation, but for the first time in her life her father could only shake his head in disbelief.

For the next day they had searched and searched for signs of Nyat, but they hadn't found any sign of the girl, the priest or the horsemen. Ardeth had gathered the scrolls that he found by the ledge.

At the end of the week it was decided to break camp and head to the east to a small village where they could stay with a friend who headed the seventh tribe of the Madji. Ardeth had packed his quiet family and their belongings and headed into the rising sun with only one thought and that was to go to England and to his friends for help to find his daughter.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

When Ardeth finished his story he got up and had walked to where his son was standing. The young man made as if to touch his arm, but held back at the last second and had just stood and looked at his father. Evelyn thought she had seen a trace of sorrow and maybe fear pass behind the young man's eyes, but wasn't sure.

The room was quiet and everyone seemed to be digesting the story in their own way until Emily began to cry again. Evelyn had forgotten the twins were in the room because she had become so intent on the story.

When the girl began to cry she started to send them to their rooms for now, but Uncle Toby had stopped her.

"That isn't all of the story my dear" he began. "It seems our Emily and Michael know a little of the hocus pocus that helped in that young girl's disappearance!" He had looked at the twins who both wiped teary eyes and sniffed before turning to their astounded mother.

"We are so sorry Mummy, but we were bored and then we forgot to tell you and and ...oh, we are so sorry" wailed Emily.

"What on earth?" began Evie.

"It seems that I received a package from Oded about the same time as the girl began her first, shall we say transition. The twins intercepted it from the courier and decided to do some snooping before letting me know. I wasn't expecting it and it all seemed to just pass, but in truth these two scallywags opened the box and proceed to experiment."

"Yes" said the handsome old man by the fireplace. "I had found some old scrolls, and a piece of what I thought at the time was, actually, a piece of the Book of the Dead. I had also come into possessing an odd knife. These things had all seemingly come to me at the same time and by coincidence, but now I do not think coincidence had any part in it.

Knowing that these articles were not safe in Egypt at the time I had them smuggled to a friend who in turn sent them on to Tobias, but pirates intercepted them." He looked at the two children.

"Pirates indeed" exclaimed Evie. "What were you two thinking and why didn't you say something? What did they do Uncle Toby and how is that important to what happened to Ardeth's daughter?"

"It seems that the articles completed some sort of circle that would help or that did help to take possession of the girl being for use by another. The twins in their rush to create mischief followed the scrolls directions and thanks to your and Leslie's excellent tutelage in ancient languages they held their own small ritual."

"All we did was follow what the scroll said, Mum" said Michael.

"That's all" began Emily. "We just read the words. We did have to cut Mike's thumb with that knife. It said we were supposed to use blood from a pure man. We didn't have anyone else and thought he was pure." Both children looked at their mother as Uncle Toby continued.

"I believe they used that night that we all had gone to the concert at the church to become spell casters. I believe this was also the time that the girl killed the priest" with a quick look at Ardeth he changed to "Ahum, uh that the priest was killed. Afterwards the children hid the scrolls and paraphernalia so give to me later. And in the"

"Meantime" said Evie "they came down with those nasty chicken pox and forgot all about the hocus pocus." She looked at the twins. "Where are the scrolls now?"

Alex brought forth a small dirty box. When Evie looked inside all was left were scrapes of parchment like paper and a dull knife.

"We didn't do that' began Michael seeing his mother's forehead knot in a question. "They were like that when we went to get them for Uncle Toby and Grandfather Oded this afternoon." Evie noticed that Toby's old friend had found new friends in her children. She smiled and looked back to her Uncle.

"We aren't sure what happened" began Toby. "It may be part of the spell and they just disintegrated so that they can't be used again. I have the piece of the book that Oded sent in my safe for now. Would you like to look at it now that you seem to be feeling better? And I suggest that the twins get ready for bed now that they have bared their souls so to speak."

He looked pointedly at Evie. Leslie without being told pulled the bell for Emma. After the older woman had taken the two protesting children away Evie turned to her company and said, "I think I see where this is going. You need one of us to come with you to the desert."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

The rest of the evening the men of the group argued the way to rescue Ardeth's daughter Nyat as Evie and Leslie took what was left of the scrolls and the knife to examine. Uncle Toby had retrieved the part of the book from the safe.

Evelyn thought that the fragment was part of another ancient book used in rituals to the Goddess Hothr, but she would have to do some searching in the morning at the Museum in London. They called it a night when Evie became faint again towards midnight.

In the darkness with only a small candle to light his way Uncle Toby performed his nightly walk to make sure his home would keep those he loved safe. The house and all its occupants seemed to sleep around him, but he knew at least Rashid would be following his progress until Toby was tucked into his bed.

A light shown from beneath the door of the downstairs study. He tapped quietly on the frame and heard someone call quietly for him to come in. Alex was sitting at the big desk by the curtained front window. He looked very like Rick sitting there. Toby hadn't realized how large the young man was getting. He still seemed always to think of Alex as the little boy who dogged his footsteps these many summers past.

"Uncle Toby. I thought it would be you. Everyone tucked in for the night?"

"I think so, except of course Rashid who is outside this door. He doesn't think I know he follows me every night. Come in Rashid" Toby said opening the door. Both men turned as the young man entered. Toby went to pour himself a brandy. Each young man declined as Toby knew they would. Rashid would say no because of the dictates of his religion and Alex because Alex denied himself a lot of pleasures these days.

"Do you think we have any chance on finding the girl?" asked Alex as they all settled in chairs around the fireplace. The room was dim in the light from just the dying fire and a few candles.

"I don't know" answered Toby "but I know your mother and your father if he were here would have to try if for nothing else than to pay back Ardeth from when he helped them find you. I also owe Oded some old favors that will take more than this to repay. So I will go to the desert and help. How? I don't know, but I am sure that we will not fail for lack of trying."

"My grandfather" began Rashid "says that he has a friend, a woman that he is sure that if he could find her that she would know how to trace the girl and maybe why she was taken to begin with."

"Ah, yes, Isabeau" said Toby with a far away look in his eyes.

"Isabeau" asked Alex. "Isn't she the woman in the photograph on your desk in your bedroom? You used to speak of her sometimes when I was young. I remember that you said she was the reason that you had never married. Was she your"

"Enemy" said Toby said in a whisper.

"I was going to say love, but this sounds more intriguing" said Alex.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"It was forever ago, actually or so now it seems" said Toby lighting a cigar and seeming to drift off in thought.

"We were in Egypt on one of the first digs that I was in charge of. Oded was also there representing the government as their on site archeologist. Isabeau was a young Egyptian woman. Or I should say-- she was very like your mum Alex. Her mother was an Egyptian-American, but her father was French. She had studied in London and Paris, but she was very excited about being in her grandmother's country. She was beautiful and intelligent. She was like a spring morning--fresh and clean and absolutely clear. Oded and I called her our oasis. We all worked together and played together. We talked and laughed. Of the dig itself, it came too little that season, but we three became fast friends.

When we parted at the end of the season we were all to go our separate ways, but we vowed we would meet again the next season to finish all our big plans. Oded and I kept up a fast correspondence.

At first Isabeau wrote to both of us. Her letters came from Cairo and I wondered why she hadn't returned to Paris, but soon her letters to me became less and less frequent and then stopped altogether. I knew she and Oded both had more in common and thought they probably had come to some understanding though I never brought the subject up with him in any of my correspondence to him. And, he didn't mention her either. Now that I can look back on it I should have known that something wasn't right, but I was young and hurt and just didn't want to lose both my friends if Isabeau had made her decision.

"The year passed and we, Oded and I planned on meeting in Cairo before we went into the desert. I fully expected to see Isabeau arm and arm with him when he met my ship, but I was wrong. When he met me at the docking he seemed surprised that Isabeau wasn't with me. It seemed neither of us knew what had happened to our third Musketeer. We were at a loss. I thought sometimes it doesn't pay to be the gentleman and we both left it at that. We missed her, but decided that she had made her desceion and we would go on with our work."

"So we headed into the desert with our crew and equipment. The site was very as we left it. The two men that we had hired to be at the site had already begun the preparations to begin again."

"About two weeks into the work we found what we thought was going to be a burial chamber high on the side of an escapement that looked promising. It didn't seem to have been opened before and we were just beginning to celebrate our find when horsemen came into the field camp."

"There were five of them in Bedouin dress. In no uncertain terms they told us that the site belonged to one of their gods and that we would have to leave. I was of course dumbfounded. We assured them that we had full permission from the government and were going to dig. After a lot of arguing and what seemed to be the beginning of a fight one of men dismounted and came forward. He removed his headdress and it was Isabeau."

Both Oded and I were thunderstruck. It was the last place on earth either thought we would ever see her again. She motioned to the men to let her speak with us alone. I know they didn't want to go, but they seemed somehow afraid of her and they left. When they rode away she smiled that wonderful smile at us and proceeded to take off the rest of her veiling."

"Now that's more like it" she said.

" she told us that when Oded and I were going back to our homes to study and work she had formed some sort of alliance with one of the old women that had cooked for us at the field camp. She told Isabeau that she was versed in desert magic that was handed down from thousands of years. And, she had told Isabeau that she knew how to raise the dead and cause death to the living from far away. I asked why someone would tell her these strange things."

"Isabeau said that the woman had told her that she, Isabeau was an incarnation of an old goddess and it was the woman's destiny to teach her the craft. It was written that one day Isabeau would be called on to stop an evil that would come to destroy the world."

"I am not sure what else the old woman had told her, but Isabeau believed it enough to stay there in the desert with the woman's tribe to study."

"We tried to talk sense into her, but she wouldn't listen. And we wouldn't listen to her about stopping the digging. The horsemen returned that evening for her. As she left she said we would be sorry we hadn't left when we had the chance. She didn't say it in a threatening way, but almost in sorrow."


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

Toby paused to pour himself some more brandy and Rashid added another log to the glowing ash of the fireplace. The wood quickly caught. Alex was glad for the small warmth because the room seemed to suddenly chill.

"Please go on with you story Uncle Toby" Alex said. "That can't be all that happened. Not with you feeling about Isabeau now—that is was an enemy."

So, Toby went on with the story.

They had decided he and Oded that nothing would make them give up this dig, especially not a bunch of superstitions Bedouins.

"As we continued to work the desert around us took on an eerie quality. That is the only way I can describe it. The days seemed over cast, but the sun was intense. Many of the workers suffered from the heat even though the temperatures were normal for that time of year. And, we were plagued with it seemed hundreds of small accidents, at least at first."

Toby stopped here to refresh his drink again as both the young men sat in a quite awe waiting for him to go on.

"The trucks would be out of gas even though they had been just filled or the water tank would begin to leak. We had a couple of cases of food poisoning. Not enough to kill, but to make life unbearable for a couple of days. Then the excavations themselves began to slide back in even though we were shoring stoutly as we dug.

"Then one afternoon when we broke for the day we found that all the small artifacts that we had placed in one of the tents to be classified had been taken."

"No one eve saw anyone around the camp or was it one of your team?" asked Alex.

"We didn't know. We only knew that no matter how many guards we posted or how vigilant we were we never caught anyone doing anything. It was as an invisible person was with us all the time. Things just seemed to happen even though we were standing within feet of the place."

"We never saw anyone. This went on for about three weeks. We refused to budge and frankly neither Oded nor I thought that any of it had to do with Isabeau and her Bedouin's threat. How could it?"

"Then one evening after another day of frustration with another collapse of a tunnel Oded, and our gang foreman and I were sitting at the cook tent trying to enjoy an after dinner smoke when all hell broke loose. The evening had been absolutely beautiful and Oded had just remarked how you could count the stars because the sky was so clear when we heard the sound of horses running in the direction of the camp. It seemed to be a large group and we were readying for another visit from Isabeau and her friends when a scream tore through the air."

"It sounded like a thousand panthers crying. I found myself afraid and I mean truly afraid for the first time in my life. We didn't know where to look or what to do. We could still hear the hoof beats coming, but couldn't see any riders and we had a plain view for miles. Ali, the foreman sent one of the basket boys to climb the hill to see if he could spot the riders. As we watched the boy climb the rocks the air began to thicken with sand and we were suddenly in a wind storm."

"We made for the tent fighting flying tables and camp chairs. I could hear the dinnerware breaking and the men were yelling. We made it to the tent just as it was ripped from the stakes and flung away from us. Oded shouted at us to make for the rocks so that we might be able to find some cover from the storm. I put my hands in front of me and walked toward what I hoped was the hill. After what seemed like hours I felt the hard rock face and knelt at its base with my back to the wind. I pulled my handkerchief over my face and huddled into the rock as the wind whipped and tore at me. Then the wind stopped as suddenly as it began."

"At first I didn't know what was going on, but I realized that it was the quiet after the terrible screeching of the wind. I turned back to the camp and saw that it was all gone."

"The desert was as clean in front of me as it had been before we had set up the site. I heard some noise and looked around as men began to come away from the rocks. I shouted for Oded and Ali. Oded came running up to me with a wild look of fright in his eyes and questions, but neither of us had any answers. We just stood there together and looked at the barren desert where our camp of nine tents had been."

"I couldn't even see a chair or bucket that had been left. Oded and I walked to the center of what had been our camp and stood under the clear midnight blue of the starry Egyptian sky."

"But what had happened?" asked Alex. "Where did everything go?"

"It just went into nothingness" answered Uncle Toby. "We finally managed to find a few sticks and some wood up against the rocks and built a fire more for the comfort of the light than any kind of warmth. Three of the men decided to try to walk into the village that was fairly nearby."

"I didn't think it was a good idea, but they were way passed the point of wanting to stay at the site. In the meantime we counted and searched for the rest of our group. We found two of the men that were injured badly although they recovered in time. And, there were several with bruises and cuts from flying debris."

"But the worse was the young lad. He was really just a boy. The boy that I had Ali send up the rocks as a lookout. He had been blown off the rocks and was dead. Neither Oded or I ever forgave ourselves for that nor did I ever forgive Isabeau."


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

"What did she have to do with it" Alex asked. "Surely you can't believe that she could have caused the storm? Maybe she did have something to do with some of your other problems, but the wind?"

"Alex after all you have seen in the desert and all that you experienced how can you not believe? Anyway, when we finally got back to Cairo and at the museum there was a note from her waiting with an apology for the boy's death. She said she didn't want anything like that to happen, but we had been warned. And she warned us again about returning to the site. So, with our tails between our legs we packed up and left. I returned to London and Oded settled into his life at the museum. Over the years we both have had our own adventurers, but neither of us has returned to that site. Nor have we seen Isabeau."

The quiet in the room surrounded the men and the hall clock chimed one. Alex rose to bank the small fire again for the night when the door flew open and his mother burst into the room in her usual take hold fashion. She was dressed in a pair of ivory silk pajamas and Rick's oldest plaid dressing gown. Her feet were bare and her dark hair tumbled in a froth of loose curls almost to her waist. Leslie trailed in her wake. Alex did notice that Leslie was still dressed as she had been at tea that evening in a tailored shirtwaist of white with small navy stripes. Her only adornment was a bright scarlet handkerchief edging the front pocket of the blouse and a matching red leather belt. She looked harried and tired. Alex suspected that she had been with his mother all this time working on the papers and knife.

"I'm glad that you're still up' Evie said looking at Toby. "Where is Ardeth and Oded? I thought you would all still be together plotting."

"No," answered Uncle Toby. "They retired a little while ago. It has been a rough trip for them. It took almost eight weeks of plotting and journeying to get here. They were all in need of some rest. We were just getting ready to go up ourselves." He motioned to the two young men to begin to leave, but Evie grabbed a candle from one of side tables and went to the desk and pushed everything there to the side.

"I didn't want this to wait until in the morning." said Evie. "Most of the paper is decaying as we stand here, but I think we cracked a part of the mystery. One phrase was still visible on one of the under sheets and Leslie recognized it from an old document that she saw in the museum's archives. We believe that the scrolls had to do with a little known cult that was dedicated to the goddess Isis. It has the same insignia and Isis is named twice. It is a very early work and little is known about the cult."

"We are planning on going to the museum in the morning to see if we can find the book that Leslie had found" she went on in a hurried voice. "We are hoping that we can at least identify one of the figures. Leslie made some drawings before the scrolls began to crumble into more pieces. We outlined what was left of the knife."

Evie sat down at the desk and took a long breath. She looked at Leslie and nodded.

Leslie held out the box that contained the scroll and knife. Uncle Toby looked into it. All that was left was dust and a bit of metal.

"We couldn't stop it," said Leslie. "It just disintegrated before our eyes."

The hall clock chimed the quarter hour. No one spoke and the quiet of the room seem to deepen the already somber mood. Uncle Toby suggested that they all try to get some sleep. He looked at the circles under Evie's eyes and the worry lines etched in her forehead. He knew that she was still feeling ill. Malcolm came in to see to the fire and they all said goodnight.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter Sixteen

Sometime in the night a storm gathered over Rosecrest and the small village two miles down the country lane. It began as a rumble of thunder and sporadic flashes of lightening and quickly grew into a rage of wind and gigantic explosions of light and sound that seemed at times to be concentrated over the old estate.

The people of Rosecrest let the storm envelop them each his own way. The twins were probably the least concerned for in their exhausted sleep of the guilty, they slept the sound sleep of the child in small beds in the old nursery within arms distance of each other knowing that their Mrs. Emma was in the old governess' room adjoining the nursery where she had been camped out since they had became ill.

Emma herself slept with any ear cocked only to the sound of a waking child and slept peacefully in the arms of her husband as she had slept for almost half a century. Robert Malcolm held to his wife and listened to the wind and the rain hoping that the roof would hold for another season and hopefully that he and Emma would soon be back in their own and larger bed in their cottage in the garden. He listened well into the morning.

Most of the others slept a dreamless sleep of toss and turn with each scream of wind and bang of thunder except two who waited at separate windows thinking of loved ones that were probably out in a storm whether the unjust storm that man had made or this unkind one that the gods had put into motion.

Evelyn huddled in Rick's robe tracing patterns in the moisture of the glass overlooking for garden and thought of Rick while Ardeth paced the long hall of the upper gallery from the east window to the west as if he expected to see his sweet Nyat through one of the long windows waiting for him in the gardens.

And, on the roof of the old manor house in a shelter of eves and overhangs, like a black gargoyle a lone figure perched wrapped in a black cloak. Waiting and alert; Falcon still in the tumult of the storm.


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter Seventeen

The next few days seemed a round robin of comings and goings and deep discussions. There were two sets of actions that must be met before any of them could proceed to find the girl. It was agreed that they must find a way to get the search party back into Africa fast without becoming part of the war and that they must find Isabeau if they were to have any chance of liberating the girl from her procession.

The summer weather had turned to a foul British summer full of unexpected rain and gloomy overcast days that was beginning to have a disagreeable effect on the people of Rosecrest. Days for Emma and Malcolm were spent just trying to keep some of the small fireplaces lit and keep the lanterns going for Evie and Leslie as they poured over the many books and papers that Leslie was bringing back to the manor from the museum.

Evie had come down with a flu like illness that kept her head in a constant state of ache and her body without any strength. The doctor had come and gone four times with little result, but with only the suggestion to get lots of rest and liquids. Evie was beside herself with frustration and exhaustion. She was also being plagued with nightmares of children calling for help and not being able to get to them. And there were the dreams of Rick being held in a small dark room of some kind bound to a chair and not being able to break free. The dream always ended with her seeing his eyes with a look of utter defeat in them.

Alex was helping Leslie with the research at the museum. He was also studying maps and some communiqués that Uncle Toby had gotten from the War Department that held some suggestions for routes back into the desert.

Uncle Toby and Oded themselves had been in London for several days trying to find a lead through some of their old English and French sources trying to find Isabeau. They were constantly back and forth into the city. Evie often wondered where they were getting the petrol.

The twins had been released from their chicken pox captivity and were free to explore the grounds again when the weather would let them out until Evie felt well enough to begin their home study again. So Michael made a show of helping Malcolm with some of the gardening and household chores while Emily helped Emma with the housekeeping and tending to her mum. After their fall from grace they seem to be being seen seldom and heard little.

Ardeth and Falcon spent their time practicing some type of fighting style that involved knives and swords that made Evie cringe, but fascinated the twins. Ardeth also spent a large part of the evenings and the night Evie knew patrolling the grounds. She didn't know if it was for their protection or just to keep him busy and his mind occupied until a plan was agreed too.

So, the days went on until one afternoon with flash of sunshine in the first time in a week and a blare of automobile engines and even the roar of a motorcycle the peace of the day broke and life became a rush.

Evie had just awaken from another fitful dream that had shattered a small afternoon nap. The noise from the driveway didn't help her adjust to the light and from the half daze of the dream and being jolted out of sleep suddenly. Michael burst into her room.

"Mummy, wake up. Uncle Toby is back with an army and Uncle Jonathan is with him. And you'll never believe it, but Uncle Jon has on a uniform. Hurry, Mummy. Uncle Toby said if you feel bad that everyone can come up here."

Michael waited by her bed almost jumping with excitement. Evie began to swing her legs over the side of the bed when a whirlwind called Emily rushed into the room dragging a man in a brown uniform. Evie took a good look and began to recognize her brother Jonathan as the man.

"What on earth are you wearing" she asked. "Isn't it against the law to impersonate an army officer?"

"Well, although I am not officially an Army officer—see I am not wearing any insignia or piping---I am doing some work for the War Department so I thought; maybe I should look the part."

"Part imbecile" said Evie. "Work for the War Department? You? Doing what? Teaching counter-fraud or how not to work your way to the top?"

"No, just helping Oded and Uncle Toby with this new adventure. Let's just say I have been recruited to lead one part of the expedition coming up."

Before Evie had a chance to say anything to him Leslie came into the room. She quickly shooed out both twins and Jonathan with a wait down stairs look.

Evie was surprised to see Leslie. She hadn't expected her for another couple of days. Evie looked at the young woman as she shut the door behind the twins. Evelyn was a bit concerned with her assistant. Lately she was having trouble liking the young woman. It was almost as if Leslie was developing a second personality or something. She was beginning to exude an air of superiority over almost everyone except maybe Alex. That friendship was still there, but little things—like correcting Evelyn's grammar or a detail in a remark to her or Uncle Toby were beginning to jar many conversations.

Evie at times felt as though Leslie was looking at her with almost contempt, but when she would look straight on at the girl she was her old companionable self. Maybe I'm just too tired Evie thought.

"Not feeling any better?" Leslie asked. As Evie shook her head as Leslie sat down beside her on the bed.

"Well, I think we finally have something concrete to go on. Uncle Toby has found the last place at least where his lost love was located. The address is only two or three years old and it is somewhere to begin.

"But, that's not all. This morning early I found an old scroll in an old trunk from a very old expedition. It was just chance that I even opened it, but something made me look through the thing and there it was-- a scroll that was copied hundreds of years ago from another scroll that talked about the cult of the goddess Amentet."

"It talked about a ritual to bring souls back to inhabit the already living. Alex and I were on our way out the museum door when Uncle Toby pulled up with the rest of his troops including your brother on a motorcycle no less. Sir Tobias said we had to get back here as quickly as possible."

"So here we all are. Now we just need you to look at the scroll and then Uncle Toby said we will be ready for phase two."

"Let me just wash my face and I'll be right down." said Evie. "Can you ask Emma for some tea?"


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

The hall clock was striking midnight and Evelyn was exhausted. Her headache had come back and logged behind her eyes making it almost impossible to work on the map that Leslie and Alex had copied along with the scrolls. Since dinner most of the company had left her and Leslie alone in the downstairs study to work. Only Uncle Toby and Alex had remained the entire time. Jonathan had left again on some mission for Uncle Toby, but was expected back early in the morning.

Ardeth had came and gone seemingly like a dark shadow. Evie felt that he couldn't make up his mind whether he wanted to know what the scroll was going to tell them or maybe he was trying not to get his hopes up too high.

At first the twins had made it almost impossible for her to concentrate. They had dashed in and out of the room a hundred times until she thought she would gladly bring back the pox if she could have some quiet. Finally Oded had saved her sanity by taking charge of the hellions with the promise of stories of adventure and a sword fighting lesson from Rashid and Falcon. The room was quiet until a last burst of goodnights came when the twins went tiredly to bed at eight.

As she kissed both children goodnight she noticed a small fresh cut over Michael's left eye brow. She looked questionably at Oded. He just smiled and shrugged. He hadn't meant real knives and swords had he?

Now all that could be heard was the soft chimes of the clock and the distant sound of another storm. Evie hoped that this one would somehow pass the manor house by. She bent back over the pages of copies that that were spread over Rick's desk. It was getting harder to see. She didn't know if it was the oil lamps or she her tired eyes. Alex came to lean over her shoulder.

"Anything else" he asked.

"Some more about the ceremony and what is needed. A lot of words for prayer and ritual, but not much about what exactly this all is supposed to bring about. The best I have come up with is it is a way that will call forth some type of power or give a strong controlling power to the one that calls. It seems to have begun with the Amentet cult, but I don't believe that this ritual stayed true to the first purpose. It was distorted. See here and here. These symbols are almost giving Amentet maybe second ranking to this power."

"I bet she really liked that," said Alex. "I can't imagine any self respecting Egyptian god giving way to be pushed second in line by her own followers."

"That may not have been the case, Alex" said Leslie walking to the desk. "On the last page of the copies it isn't Amentet that I am reading, but Ahemait. And, that shall we say would certainly change the picture."

"And who is in the picture that you are changing?" asked the shadow that seemed to uncurl from a chair in one of the far corners of the room.

Falcon walked to the desk or at least came as close to the desk as Evie could remember him coming in contact with any of them. He was wearing his dark shirt and pants with a long tunic type of vest that seemed to enhance his slender figure. Evie saw that his black hair was a lot longer then she thought. The gleaming waves were pulled back into a loose braid that fell half way down his back.

Unlike his father, Oded or Rashid the young man was clean shaven. His complexion was a smooth pale ivory only marred by the Madji tattooing that was required when a man entered the service. Evie also saw that with the light shining on his face that Falcon's eyes were almost a hazel brown and he stared at the scroll from under perfectly arched black brows. She thought that he must take more after his mother than Ardeth. Falcon looked to Evie and she quickly looked back at the papers in front of her.

"Amentet was a goddess and the other that is mentioned Ahemait is a demon that eats souls" said Leslie pointing to two different symbols on the copy.

"I have never seen both of them listed together like this. The picture changes in the perception of what the scroll is telling the reader or at least those of the cult to do" replied Leslie in what Alex thought was a rather condescending tone. He had noticed that in her from time to time recently, especially when she was around someone who was probably not as educated as she.

Falcon didn't seem to be phased by Leslie's tone, but edged closer into the desk to look at the paper. Alex became aware of a subtle smell as the young man came to his side. The scent reminded him of a warm winter day in the desert; a day of clean air, sunshine, but with just a hint of? He wasn't sure, but Alex thought jasmine.

He was a bit taken back and looked at Falcon and edged closer to try and take a deeper breath of the smell. As he was almost touching Falcon he stopped short. What in the world was he doing? Trying to identify another man's cologne? Alex turned quickly from the desk and went to sit one of the chairs by the fireplace. He was not sure what to think of himself or of Falcon. Alex was brought back into the room by his Mother's voice. She sounded more tired than he had ever heard her and she sounded bone weary.

"I am just not sure of that, Leslie" she said to the young woman. Leslie had the beginning of a belligerent look on her face and Alex didn't want anything said this late of night that might upset his Mum.

"Why don't we just call it an evening" he said rising and going to behind the chair where his mother was sitting. He bent over her shoulder to whisper a goodnight to try to coax her to her room when his eye caught a figure on the copied scroll on the desk.

"Wait a minute" he said pushing Evelyn gently to the side and reaching for a pencil. "Mother, look! Isn't this the same configuration that was on that scroll that you gave me when I was just beginning to learn to read hieroglyps? Wasn't it from a book of Thoth about the goddess Isis? See right here, the very small figures that go along the side—here and here."

"I must be more tired than I thought" said Evie. "Of course, I can see the flow of the figures now and how they are talking about Isis. Something about not hurting or maybe that is abusing her gifts. I think I do need to put this away for now." And with saying that Evie picked up all of the copies and work on the table and bidding everyone a goodnight she left. Leslie watched her go.

"Was she angry?" she asked Alex.

"I don't know if she was angry, exactly, but sometimes Leslie you do get above everyone. For a moment there I thought you were going to sound off as if Mum was a bit dumb or something."

"But I wouldn't. Ever. Oh, I'm going to bed. I'll apologize to Evelyn in the morning."


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter Nineteen

Alex was left alone in the room with Falcon. Both young men stood within two feet of each other for over a minute with neither one of them speaking or wanting to break the silence. Finally, Alex began to say that he was going up when Uncle Toby and Malcolm came into the room.

"Both still up?" Toby asked. "I just passed Leslie in the hall and she seemed a bit upset. You two haven't been teasing her have you?" Uncle Toby was teasing the stoic stance of the young men. Not getting any response he suggested that everyone should go to bed as tomorrow was sure to be another long day. Alex and Falcon left Toby and Malcolm to bank the fire and walk Uncle Toby's nightly rounds for him.

The wind began to rise again and rain lashed at the back side of the house. Roses in the garden bent under the heavy down pour. The house grew quiet again. Everyone slept this night except the young man Falcon whose turn it seemed had come to sit at a rain soaked window.

He looked at his reflection on the glass as a dim light shone from behind him and he traced the Madji tattoo outlines that marred his face in the glass.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter Twenty

Evie sat at the dining room table at seven with a hot cup of tea and plate of toast that was beginning to get cold waiting for someone else to join her. Emma came through the kitchen door with a new pot of tea and a silver covered serving dish to add to those that sat on the sideboard.

"Can I get you some new toast?" she asked Evie. She was concerned with the woman's paleness and the circles under her eyes that seemed to be getting deeper everyday.

"Oh," said Evie startled out of her thoughts. "No, thank you Emma. I'm just going to wait for the others. Are the twins up yet? I haven't heard a pip from them."

"Oh, yes, Mrs. Rick. They've been up for awhile with that young man Falcon. I think they all went out to the old summer house. Michael was going on about learning to sword fight."

"Good lord" said Evie remembering the cut above Michael's eyebrow the night before. "Has anyone else been down?"

"Yes, almost everyone, but Mr. Alex and Miss Robinson" replied Emma "and Mr. Jonathan was in to the table, but said he would wait for you."

"Jonathan" exclaimed Evelyn.

"Did I hear my name?" came a reply from the doorway. Evie looked around at her brother walking in to the room. This morning he apparently had shorn his uniform of the other afternoon and was wearing what Evie thought of as an outfit that would only be worn by a college professor and a poor one at that.

"Don't tell me you have decided to give up the War Department for university life" She said to him.

"Not at all" Jonathan said as he helped himself to eggs and toast from the sideboard. "Aren't there any kippers or bacon?"

"No and haven't been for months" she said. "Count yourself lucky that we do have a few hens that give us eggs. There is a war going on with rationing you know. And what in the world are you wearing this morning and why?"

"Actually, it's quiet a bit of good news" Jonathan said somewhat sheepishly. "You see while I was in London doing some running for Uncle Toby I dropped in to my agent and she said that Burkeholder and Son have decided to publish our book."

"Our what?" said Evie almost dropping her tea cup. "I am sure that I am not going to like what you say, but I must ask—what book?" Evie sat her cup down and glared at her brother as he began to eat his scrambled eggs with a fervor.

"You know you can always tell fresh eggs from those bought at a city market. There is a quality to . ." Jonathan began, but Evie threw her cold toast and hit him between the eyes. "Well, you see when I couldn't get the money for the diamond right off and I had all these debts I just didn't know what to do. One day I was at a cocktail party for Abby St. John and met her book agent. You know Abby. She writes those murder mysteries with that foppish sleuth."

"For your life's sake and the sake of my sanity get to the part where we are having a book published."

"I was getting there. Anyway this agent-- her name is Sarah Gable-- and I began talking and I was telling her of some of our adventures and she said that with the fantastic life that I lead that I should write a book. That even with the war going on there was a market for adventure stories. So I wrote a book and now she has sold it to a publisher. That's about it." Jonathan bent his head to his breakfast plate and Evie looked long and hard at her brother. She could only guess at what went into his book.

"And what precisely did you write about in this book and why I am included in it?" she asked.

"Well, I did tell about Imhotep and how we discovered him and his curse. You know, just what that entailed. I'm saving Alex's kidnapping for the second book." Jonathan replied giving his toast another good buttering and not looking at his sister.

"I can't believe you" Evie cried and this time threw her cup at him. As Jonathan ducked he slid from his chair and made his way hastily to the kitchen door. He tried to push his way into the kitchen, but Emma was blocking in from behind. He was trapped.

"Jonathon how could you tell the world. We—Rick and I have worked so hard to try and keep the true story from being made public. This opens us all including Ardeth and his group to ridicule and people that just just. I am at a loss for words."

Evie sat and buried her head in her hands. This was it. She just shook her head. Jonathan came over and put his hand on her shoulder. "I am so sorry Evie. It's just a book. A novel. Sarah said that the jacket would say that it was based on our adventures in the desert. It isn't as if I said these things actually happened."

"Our adventures?

"Well, you know—you and me. And of course, Rick." Jonathan said trying not to look at his sister. "Well, it just sounded better with your name there --- your credentials made it a little more plausible and they really wanted a woman involved because of the romance."

"Romance?" asked Evie. She just shook her head knowing that it was probably useless to question her brother any further and besides that her head was beginning to pound again and how bad could it be anyway?

She heard talking coming from the hallway and gave Jonathan a "we will talk later look". Alex and Leslie came into the room talking softly. Both said good morning and Alex bent to give his mother a quick kiss.

"Good morning, Uncle Jon. Any news from London?" he asked.

Jonathan said that they were to have a meeting as soon as everyone had arrived. As if on queue they heard the roar of what was more than one car coming up the drive. Alex went to the window and said that he didn't recognize the cars, but he would bet they were government issued.

Soon after Malcolm came into the dining room to say that Sir Tobias would like them all to come to the downstairs study as soon as they were finished with breakfast. Evie pushed back from the table and stood, but with a little gasp she sat down abruptly. Everyone rushed to her except Leslie who stood at the window watching the passengers from the cars come up the walk to the house. Alex got there first and knelt beside his mother.

"What's wrong Mum?" he asked shaken.

"I don't know. I can't seem to catch my breath all at once" she said before she fainted.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter Twenty-one

As the group waited for word on Evie each seemed to search out a place that made them feel protected. The day had darkened with more than emotions. A storm had blown in with the arrival of the doctor. Jonathan had gone to fetch him as soon as Emma had said a doctor was needed. But unknown to the rest Jonathan had taken his motorcycle and so the good doctor had made his harried entrance in a burst of mild profanity and soggy clothes.

Now the house was again dark and cold. Malcolm, Rashid, Alex and Falcon had spent the better part of the day trying to get fireplaces to heat and flues to pull. The result was that people were spread all over big house trying to find what comfort they could. Tea was left to the individual to seek out if they wanted it. So far no one had even thought about eating.

The twins were nestled in Emma's bed in the old governess's room along side the nursery. She had left them there under the care of Leslie with hot milk and biscuits. Leslie had tried reading to them, but nothing could keep them calm. As the afternoon progressed they became more irritable and tired. At last Leslie left them to themselves and retreated in search of some news.

Uncle Toby, Oded and Ardeth had congregated in the downstairs study and the large fireplace. The day had been spent going over plans for their departure and the coming rescue of Ardeth's daughter. Finally the men just sat quietly apart in the room; each to his own thoughts.

The hall clock began to chime five, but even in the middle of summer the day was already dark. Malcolm came into light some lamps. Leslie followed him in bringing a lamp.

"Sitting in the dark" she asked. "I didn't even know anyone was in here it was so quiet".

"Oh, I hadn't noticed" said Uncle Toby. "Has anyone heard from that doctor?"

"Not yet" said Leslie. "It seems he has been up there forever."

The room suddenly seemed to take on a light glow as if the lamp Leslie carried was lit with a special wick. Just then Alex and Rashid came into the room.

"Where is Falcon?" asked his father.

"I believe he went to check on the twins" said Alex. "He said his goodnight to us and left for the nursery. Something about seeing if the twins wanted to practice again."

"I wish him all the luck" said Leslie. "I have spent the day with them and thought I would end up mad as a hatter. Between their whining and being mean to each other I had had enough."

"That's not really fair, Leslie" said Alex "They are really worried about Mum and they are only ten years old no matter how smart they seem sometime. Anyway, if you didn't want to stay with them you should have just said something and I would have.."

"I just figured that's what I was being paid for" Leslie interuppted.

"No" Alex replyed through clenced teeth "you are being paid to help my mother with her work. You know that. No one has ever expected you to be a babysitter, in fact..."

"That is enough!" said Uncle Toby rather loudly. "I don't need or want to listen to this – not now. Please."

Alex and Leslie gave each other a look and went to opposite ends of the room to find a seat. Uncle Toby glanced at his great nephew, but continued to stare at the young woman for more than a few seconds.

He was puzzled with Leslie's sudden belligerent behavior. He had never known her to act this way before. She always seemed to gladly except any chore or project that she had been given. And, she had always seemed to take great pride in her handling of the twins, especially her helping these last weeks when they were ill.

He knew she was pleased to be a part of the family. These bursts of almost defiance the last week or so had been a bit disquieting. It was like this infernal illness and fainting fits of Evelyn's lately.

I just don't know what it the matter Toby began to think, but he stopped himself in mid-thought and looked at Leslie sitting in the shadow across the room.

"Alex, my boy, come and take a short stroll with me while I smoke a cigar" he said to the young man.

Alex rose and followed his uncle through the French windows and on to the terrace off the study. The wind was still blowing, but the hard rain had turned to a mist that was turning into a thick fog across the estate.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter Twenty-two

Both men huddled into a covered niche trying to get out of the damp. Alex was still lost in thought as Toby tried twice to light the cigarette he was holding.

"I thought you came out here to smoke a cigar," said Alex in a half hearted attempt at conversation.

"No, actually, I wanted to speak to you about Leslie."

"You know I didn't begin that..."

"Wait, my boy. That's not what I want to talk about. Have you noticed a definite change in our Leslie's behavior these past days? I can't place what is going on, but she has changed and at certain times I have noticed that she doesn't even . . . "

"Look like the same person, especially her eyes" finished Alex.

"Precisely' agreed Toby. "I began to notice the change about the time that the twins turned over that box of Oded's to us. I was also thinking that Evelyn's sickness seems to have begun at the time of our friend's arrival. I have been trying to put it all together, but it is almost like a puzzle with a few wrong pieces."

The two men walked along the terrace until the rain began to beat down on them and pushed them both back into the study. Alex thought the room felt over hot and stuffy after the cool fresh air of the terrace. He saw that both Ardeth and Oded had joined Leslie. Oded and the young woman sat on the couch in front of the fireplace and were talking soft, but animated.

Ardeth paced the far side bank of windows. Alex thought that his father's old friend paced so that the emotion that he was trying to contain couldn't boil to the surface.

"Hello, Oded" said Toby going over to the fireplace and in search of his humidor. "Have a nice nap this afternoon?"

"Nap?" answered Oded. "I did not sleep this afternoon. I walked the estate borders with Ardeth for most of the time and spent the rest talking with my grandson about his future."

"Sorry" said Toby. "I knocked on your door about two and when you didn't answer I thought perhaps you were napping."

Alex looked at his uncle and noticed that the expression of his face told him he had known where his old friend and everyone else had been during the day. Alex knew that little escaped the old man.

"Alex" said Leslie drawing the young man's attention to her. "Mr. Al-Fyad was just telling me about the first time that he had a run in with Isabeau. I had no idea that he and Sir Tobias thinks she has that kind of power."

At those words both Uncle Toby and Oded turned to look at the young woman. She turned her head to look at Uncle Toby sitting straighter as she did. Oded seemed to sway away from her also.

Alex was about to jump towards the group when the study door opened with a bang against the wall and Falcon stood in the doorway with the light from the poorly lit hallway behind him. A moment passed when no one seemed to be able to take a breath and in the next second the twins flew into the room with a shout pushing Falcon toward Alex.

The young men stumbled into each other and whatever pall has been cast over the room broke. Breaking apart from Alex Falcon lowered his eyes and made to chastise the children for their abrupt behavior. Alex walked over to where the other three were still at the sofa.

"Alex," said Michael "we have had the grandest time. Falcon has taught us how to hide in a way that no one can see us."

"That's right" chimed in Emily. "We even fooled Mr. Malcolm when he was feeding the hens. It was great fun. Next Falcon is going to teach us how to creep up on people."

The next few minutes were taken up with the children being sent in to her dinner with Leslie as a reluctant babysitter once again. Alex wasn't sure about leaving the twins with her, but whatever she had been about to say had certainly brought darkness on the group.

With the door shut firmly behind Leslie and the twins Alex turned once again to his great uncle. "Now what do you say about that Sir Tobias?"

"I say that the soon we get that young woman into the desert the better off I think this house hold and your mother is going to be" said Toby turning to Oded. "Old friend, have you noticed the change in our young Miss Robinson?"

"Oh yes. I began to be aware of it while she was in the study other night with Evelyn. I was also beginning to wonder about the sudden illness of our Evelyn and somehow the thought came into my mind as I watched Miss Robinson that just perhaps she was having something to do with it. After this last minute I am very sure. I agree we need to get her away from Evelyn and her babies, very very soon."


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter Twenty-three

As the men sat each in his own pool of silence the door opened and Malcolm came in with some fresh candles. He was followed closely by Dr. Anderson.

"Sir Tobias, might I have a word with you and young Mr. O'Connell?"

"Go ahead with what you have to say, Douglas" said Sir Toby. "We are all family here."

The doctor waited as if to compose himself and turned toward Alex who had seated himself by the big desk once again.

"I have always prided myself with keeping up with the newest approaches in medicine and reading all the latest publications, but as to what is wrong with Mrs. O'Connell I just simply do not know. She is literally wasting away without any sign or cause that I can find."

"I would like to suggest that we take her into London for some more tests and to see a specialist. I can make the arrangements within the next 48 hours, but I fear that that will be cutting it very close. I would really like to move her tonight. If you are willing."

"I don't believe that is going to be necessary at this time Douglas" said Toby. "I think I can cure Evelyn without moving her from her home."

Oded rose from his chair by the fire and with a nod to Toby both he and Falcon left the room. Alex waited for what Uncle Toby would say next.

"Tobias" said the doctor. "This girl is dreadfully ill and I can't make her better in a cold mansion in the sticks. We must take her to London."

Sir Toby began to answer when the door burst open for the second time that evening. Jonathan came barging into the room. He was dressed for the road in his motorcycle gear with his helmet and goggles still in place.

"Well, I have done it this time, chaps. I have found Isabeau for us and I have danced a pretty dance with some awfully nasty gentlemen in Cairo and can get us back into the desert. I had to promise my first born, of course if that should ever--I say what is going on? You all look like death." Jonathan began to wind down and then he saw the doctor and the look on his face. "Is it Evie? What is . ." ."

Toby raised a hand to silence his nephew. Going to the brandy he poured one for himself, the doctor and Jonathan knowing that Alex would decline.

"I am afraid it is. She is slowly leaving us" he said handing round the drinks.

"Yes" the doctor began "I can't seem to find what is wrong with…"

Again Toby interrupted with a nod to Alex. "Evelyn's illness and the strange behavior of Miss Robinson can be traced I am sure with the discovery of the scrolls in the desert and the bewitching of Ardeth's daughter. I am glad that your sources have worked Jonny because I believe we will have to move now in order to save our Evelyn and keep any more dark forces from creeping into our home."

The men stood and looked at Sir Tobias. The doctor's face showed a touch of disbelief, but he had known Toby since childhood and knew if this is what he said it was the truth.

Alex sat down into his father's chair took and off his glasses for a cleaning.

Jonathan removed his helmet revealing his face as a raccoon mask of dirt and grime from the long motorcycle ride.

Both Jonathan and Douglas Anderson raised their glasses in a small salute to Toby.

Alex finished cleaning his glasses and pushed them back up his nose with his ring finger of his left hand.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter Twenty-four

Very early the next morning Alex sat by his mother's bed waiting for her to wake. He had not yet been to sleep having spent most of the night gathering his gear to leave when Uncle Toby had finished his preparations today.

They were to leave at midnight by air courtesy of the Royal Air Force, to the coast of France, then by fishing boat to the shore and to the woman Isabeau whatever way they could. Only he and Uncle Toby were to go to France although it had been a fight with Rashid to allow the old man to just travel with Alex. But in the end the young man had given way to both Toby's and this grandfather's decision knowing that he would only bring attention to the men.

The rest of the group including Ardeth, Falcon, Oded, and Rashid would go with Jonathan by an army ship to western Africa and from there to trek into the desert towards Ardeth's daughter. Alex knew that they would also be taking Leslie with them. It was the only way that Toby would leave Evelyn—if Leslie were thousands of miles away.

Alex watched his mother sleep. He had been at her side for hours hoping that she would wake before he had to leave. As the first hint of grey dawn came through the window a light rain began to splash at the panes. Evie began to stir. Alex watched her face change from the gentleness of a soft sleep into a twist of fright. He reached to touch her shoulder to wake her out of her dream.

Evelyn sat up suddenly and moaned "Rick. Oh, Rick I am trying. I'm coming"

Afraid for his mother Alex shook her shoulders gently to wake her. She began to cry and opened her eyes looking into the eyes of her son.

"Alex, it was another of those terrible dreams of your father needing help. He was in this dark room and men were beating him, but he wouldn't give them what they wanted. Then it was over and all I could see was Rick lying on the bare floor saying my name over and over."

Alex smoothed her hair and rocked her gently in his arms as if to soothe a child. He didn't know what to say any more about the dreams that kept coming days and nights.

"I know that Dad will be alright, Mum. He is the toughest fighter that I know. And even if what you are saying is true you know that Dad will never give up. I promise you that when we get to the desert I will find him for you and bring him back safe and sound."

"Oh Alex, I believe that you think you can. . . "

"No. I don't think I can. I know that what I tell you now that I will do for you. I do promise Mum."

And then it was Evie's turn to rock her son as they sat on the bed waiting for the dawn to break and the day to pass.

Evelyn and Alex sat most of the morning discussing the plans. Alex didn't tell his mother why Uncle Toby had decided that they must leave as soon as they possibly could and he didn't say they were taking Leslie.

The day was bustling and the busiest that the household had seen in a long time, but with her strength all but gone Evie didn't leave her room and this helped Alex hide the true facts from her.

As evening approached Evie and all three of her children were finishing a light supper in her bedroom before Alex was to leave.

"It is too quiet for all this planning and packing of yours to be going on" said Evie as the twins left with the supper trays and cart for the kitchen. "I don't think I have talked to anyone for over two minutes today and I haven't seen Leslie at all."

"Well, my dear Evelyn I think that I will take care of that now" said Uncle Toby coming in the door with Oded and Ardeth. The two desert men looked a little uncomfortable coming into Evie's bedroom, but both knew that the woman was too weak to travel far from her bed.

"Oh, Uncle Toby" said Evie "I am so glad to see all of you. I haven't done much this past week except sleep. The twins have been in and out, but I haven't seen much of any of you. So that makes me want to ask if this is a special visit instead of just a goodbye."

Toby crossed the room and sat at the end of the bed where Evie sat propped up on dozens of pillows from sitting with her supper tray. Ardeth and Oded stepped lightly into the room, but stayed by within reach of the doorway. Alex came and sat in the chair by Evie's bed and took her hand.

"I had thought about not telling you any of what I am going to tell now because I felt that once we left and things straightened out you would never need to know. But after talking with Oded this afternoon as we packed to leave I realized that I am terribly uncertain whether just leaving and taking Leslie with us will help alleviate this-- shall I shall curse on you or not."

"Take Leslie where" piped in Evelyn. "Why on earth would you chance to take that girl into a war? I know she has been a great help, but"

"Yes, my sweet girl" said Toby taking Evie's hand and looking into her troubled eyes "she has been a great help in many ways, but she also seems to be controlling what is happening to you. Why you sit here in a dark room unable to move more than a few feet at a time."

Evelyn looked at Uncle Toby and then to her son and saw a concern there that seemed to stretch beyond the pain that she was going through.

"I am very sorry Evelyn that I have brought this to your home again, but I didn't know where else that I could turn" said Ardeth.

Evelyn looked around the room and a wave dizziness swept over her and her dinner came rising to her throat. "Help me to the bathroom Alex" she said. "I'm going to be sick."


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter Twenty-five

As a new moon with a the circle of a fairy's ring crept into the dark grey of the summer night sky a small army of men loaded two trucks in the Rosecrest drive. The men worked quietly at a cumbersome job, but they were on orders to be as silent as possible because the lady of the house was gravely ill.

Uncle Toby and Oded stood on the west terrace and watched the final truck pull out. The evening had been a jumble after Evelyn's newest bout of illness. Emma stayed with her while Alex was sent to fetch the doctor again.

Evie had lapsed into a semi-comatose state before Dr. Anderson had arrived. Not being able to wake his mother Alex wanted to stop the expedition until she awoke, but with Toby's urging the plans were going on for Toby feared if they waited to long his niece would never waken.

"Well, my old friend I guess it is time to say goodbye" said Oded still watching the last of the red tails lights fade into the night.

"I prefer not to say goodbye" said Toby "if that is alright with you. I am feeling very superstitious at all of this. I must say that the thought of what we might face in the desert has me a little shaken. And, of course, that is if Alex and I make it that far."

"You mean if any of us make it that far" answered Oded. "There is danger all around with this war raging, but I know what you mean. At least there facing a living enemy you know who you are fighting and how to fight them. I too am hesitant at even speaking. I don't think I have ever been this – unsure."

"I know" said Toby with a firm grip to his friend's shoulder.

The men were interrupted by Jonathan and Alex coming out to the terrace. Both men were dressed in old suits bearing a rag tag look.

"Captain Blaine asked me to come and get you" said Alex. "It is time to go."

"I just want a last look at Evelyn and I'll be right along" said Toby going toward the French doors. "Until we meet in Cairo old friend. And, Jonathan please take care and please keep your mind on what is at stake" said Toby,

"She's still deeply asleep, but Dr. Anderson said her breathing is better and her pulse is stronger" Jonathan replied ticking his chin into his chest so he wouldn't have to look his great uncle in the eyes.

"I just don't think I can leave her Uncle Toby. I just feel with Dad not here that I should stay" said Alex stopping the old man short of the door.

"If we stay I am absolutely sure that we will loose her. We must go find the source of all this evil and get rid of it once and for all and it is going to take all of us. The plans are made" said the old man as he went into the dark house.

"Alex you know how these things can work and you know what evil is. You faced it ten years ago" said Jonathan putting his hand on his nephews shoulder. "I really never wanted to see anything like that again. To tell the truth Imhoteph and that that woman of his scared me half to death. And when she stabbed Evie I thought -- I had never realized until that moment that anyone could really be that unfeeling and full of evil."

"Did you look into her eyes? It was like looking into the eyes of a snake only a snake has more warmth." The three men stood for a moment more and then followed Toby into the house and to their departure.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter Twenty-six

Twenty-six

Alex thought both he and Uncle Toby looked so out of place walking along the French roadside with the small group of refuges heading into the countryside. It had been a long night and Alex was beginning to feel the weight of his knapsack, but Uncle Toby looked as spry and determined as he had when their car pulled away from Rosecrest.

They had left shortly before dawn in a British Army plane headed for the French coast. As they came within sight of the coastline he and Uncle Toby had parachuted into the cold Atlantic. Alex knew his mom would be furious with him when she learned he had been jumping like this from planes for over two years and not telling her. He thought it had finally come in handy. Alex didn't know how long Uncle Toby had been jumping, but he took to it with his usual zest. They landed in deep water a short distance from a small group of fishing boats. As soon as they hit the water they were scooped up by one of the boats and headed for the shore.

Alex had wanted to know who his rescuers were, but Uncle Toby just silently shook his head and up his finger to his lips to keep the boy quiet. The ride was long with the deadly silence.

Once on shore they were transferred still in silence to a covered truck where they changed into clothes that Alex guessed were more appropriate to the French countryside, if not clean and dry. By early morning they had been walking miles to the village where they had been assured by the French Underground that they would find Uncle Toby's Isabeau.

Now as they came to a fork in the road a vehicle approached them and the small group of people came to a halt as the small truck stopped in front of them. A German soldier climbed from front seat and walked toward them while two other soldiers sat shade of the cab.

The soldier said something in German to the man that was closest to him. The man shook his head no and told the soldier in French that he didn't speak German. As the man finished speaking the soldier hit him with his rifle. The man fell to the ground. Alex began to start toward the soldier, but Uncle Toby pulled him back.

"I think I can help you understand what we are saying" Uncle Toby told the soldier in German. The soldier grinned and began to swing the gun back once more, but stopped quickly when he saw what Toby had in his hand. Toby motioned and the young man came forward and took what he was offering. The soldier motioned that he wanted more, but Toby only shrugged his shoulders. The young man looked over his shoulder at the other two then he laughed and suddenly left as quickly as they had appeared.

Alex began to speak, but all Uncle Toby would say was that they were lucky, very lucky that the men were young and not very greedy. They helped the fallen man up and continued down the dirt road.

As the sun shone overhead the group came to a bend in the road that ran toward a small hill. Another, but smaller dirt road ran toward the south.

"This is where we leave you for now" said the man who the German soldier had hit. "Take this road to the end and there is the house that you want. We will be back for you in two days. Be safe, but know we cannot come any sooner and you must be ready to leave once we are here. Do you understand?"

"Yes" said Uncle Toby. "And we both thank you for your generous help. We will meet you here at the road's end in two days at morning break." The men then left the road by the other side and disappeared over the back and into the field.

"That was one very strange" said Alex.

"Quiet" said Toby "We are still in danger. Come." Toby lead the way down the dusty road. They walked about a mile before coming into view of a house. Alex thought the house large and somewhat on the elegant side if not more than a little shabby. The place appeared deserted in the fading light of late afternoon sun.

"Please stop where you are" came a voice from one of the upstairs windows. Alex could just make out the outline of a person against the glare from the sun. "I have a gun on you and since I don't know who you are I will use it if you don't do as I say."

"Ah, but you do know who I am, Isabeau" said Uncle Toby. But Alex saw that Toby had put his hands in the air the same as he did when the voice told them to stop.

"And who do I know?"

"You know Tobias from a long time ago and this is my great-nephew Alex. We have come to ask your help."

"Tobias? Is that really you? You look so very different, but it has been a long time. I will be right down. Please relax your arms."

The men waited in the hot dry air of the courtyard. Alex expected Isabeau, if the voice was indeed her to come out the front door, but was surprised when she came from the far side of the house apparently from the back somewhere. He didn't know what he was expected, but the woman coming at them would have been the farthest from his idea of what Uncle Toby's old love would look like would look like.

The woman coming toward them wore men's brown pants, boots, and an oversize men's work blue work shirt that had seen many washing and was tied at the waist. She was almost as tall as Uncle Toby and slender. Her hair was black with only a few grey streaks showing and was pulled back from her face and twisted up to be held by a couple of what looked at yellow school pencils. Her arms that showed and her face was tan, but without that leathery look that some older people have from being out in the sun too often.

Alex thought she is very beautiful. She walked toward them holding out her arms to Uncle Toby Alex thought her eyes looked a lot like his mother's eyes a warm dark brown that turned up slightly at the outsides, but where his mother's eyes always had a smile Isabeau's eyes were a bit hard. When she got to them she embraced Toby; then quickly turned to Alex.

"Ah, a great-nephew Tobias" she said. "What. Not a son?"

"No, I have no son Isabeau. No child of either gender, I'm afraid."

"Ah, I have pictured you all of these years as surrounded by a tribe of young adventurers who followed you into the deserts of Egypt." When she said this Uncle became quiet and Alex saw that this seemed to make the woman very uneasy.

"I should not have said that so without thought" she said. And if trying to make up for it she continued "It is just that I had hoped that one of us would have had a happy—fulfilled life."

These new words seemed to make the new silence all that worse. Toby and the woman just stood and looked at each other. Alex became aware for the first time in his life that his Uncle Toby had the feelings of a man and that he was so much deeper than what he had always thought of his old Uncle Toby with all the war and desert stories.

Toby was the first to break the awkward silence. "What ever may have been we can't ever determine, but I have come looking for you now to help with a very real and life threatening situation."

"I do not get involved with this war of the German's" said Isabeau.

"I haven't come about the war or Germans. There is a horror going on in the desert that I believe only you can help us with."

"Then you had better come in and we will talk about it while we eat."

Later that afternoon after a sparse, but filling meal of chicken soup and bread when Toby had told all they knew of Ardeth's daughter's story and why they come to find her Alex was walking around the grounds of the small farm. Isabeau had told him not to stray far for the German's would sometimes come unexpectedly if they were after some chickens or eggs.

Alex walked slowly around the outer buildings on the grounds. He could see that the farm had once been very prosperous and bigger than it now was. The old barn that was at the farthest reaches of the long yard had a sad look of abandonment. Alex didn't even see any of the chickens that Isabeau had told them at lunch that she was trying to raise. He was just about to go into the building he heard her call him from path to the barn not to go in telling him no to go any farther. She came at him at almost a run and quite out of breath.

"You don't want to go in there. It really isn't too safe anymore. Please come back to the house now. I am afraid that a German patrol might come by."

As they turned to go to the house when Alex heard a small noise almost like a kitten crying and he turned back to the barn.

"Listen" he said "I think you have a new batch of kittens in there or at least one"

"No, its not kittens and we do need to go to the house" said Isabeau as she took his arm very firmly and guided him to the house. Alex heard one last cry from the barn and reluctantly went to the house with the woman.

Toby met them at the back door. "I think you are going to have visitors" he said "I can hear some type of vehicle coming toward us.

Isabeau pushed the men into the house and told them to stay in the closet in the back bedroom and not to come out under any circumstances. She would take care of whoever was coming. Both men crammed themselves into the small cupboard that was posing as a closet. They could hear her open the front door and then there was silence.

Suddenly the noise from the front door opening startled Alex and uncle Toby and they heard voices coming towards where they were hid. Although they couldn't make out what Isabeau and whoever she was talking to were saying they could tell from her voice that she was upset. Alex began to open the door, but Toby put his hand on the young man's arm and shook his head.

Then they heard Isabeau outside the door.

" Toby, please come out. I am going to need you and Alex to help me and we don't have much time.

Both men came quickly out of the cupboard. Isabeau was standing there with the Frenchman who the German's had hit on the road that afternoon. He looked very tired and seemed to have taken a few more hits since they last saw him.

"Andre has come to tell us that the German's will be here in the morning if not before. The group that you came here with was stopped again on the road. Andre was the only one to get away this time. We are not certain if any of the others are still alive or not."

"We will leave at once" Toby began to say, but Isabeau held up her hand to silence and stop him from moving'

"The German's are not looking for you. They are coming for the people that I have hidden in my barn" she looked at Alex and smiled a half smile. "Yes, the kitten that you heard this morning is a new baby and he is with his parents, an uncle, and a grandmother. They are Jews. We were going to move them at the end of the week when we have some transportation coming for them, but it looks like the German's found out about them and are on the way here. For them, and apparently for me."

"Well then my dear, what do you want us to do?" asked Tobias


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter Twenty seven

Jonathan walked around and around the small patio area within the walls of the house outside of the city that Grandfather Oded had placed them at after leaving the ship that had brought the small group to Egypt.

The sea trip had been rough in many ways, especially the growing tension between the men and Leslie. Not in personalities he thought for surely Leslie's had changed to someone else even before the group had left England, but just in the way that they all knew somehow that the young woman they were traveling with was no longer Leslie Robinson.

As Jon paced under the coolness of the palms and shrubs Ardeth came in a side gate that gave out into an alley that lead into the city.

"Did you find out anything about our missing troops" Jonathan asked in his usually lively and irresponsible voice. He was becoming deathly worried about his nephew and uncle, but didn't want his worry to infect the already tense group. According to plans they should have met with the group at least a week ago, but no one had heard anything. Jonathan had already checked at British command this morning and Ardeth was apparently just getting back from his sources.

"No" replied Bey as he shut the gate quickly behind him "no one seems to know anything yet, but I have sent word onto Cairo to see if they have come through there or somewhere else."

"Where is Falcon? I thought he was with you?" Jon asked.

"No, I left him with here" said Bey beginning to look uneasy and starting to go into the side door of the house. At the same time Falcon rose from a chair in one of the darkest corners of the patio. Funny thought Jonathan somewhat startled, I've been out here almost an hour and didn't notice the boy. But he didn't say that to either Falcon or Bey.

"Father" said the young man in his gravelly and soft voice as he came to stand by his parent and Jonathan. "I have watched Miss Robinson's door as you asked. She is still in the house. The last I heard her she told Aunt that she was going to rest from the heat. She is still in the bedroom."

Ardeth and Jonathan looked toward the open window that Falcon nodded to knowing that is where Leslie's sleeping room was located in the small house. As they did Leslie came out the doorway onto the small porch putting on a wide brimmed hat as she stepped into the sun and walked toward them.

"I thought I heard voices" she said walking to one of the chairs in the shade and sitting. "It is good to have you back Bey. Have you got good news so that we can get out of this village and on our way to the desert?"

"I would have thought" remarked Jonathan sharply to her "that you might be concerned with where Alex and Uncle Toby are instead of wanting to leave. Oh, I am sorry Ardeth, I didn't mean. You know that I."

"I do understand" Bey answered quietly not looking at Jonathan, but looking intently at the girl reposing on the chair. "We are all off balance with the waiting and the worry for all of our loved ones not being with us."

Jonathan was also looking at Leslie. There was something wrong with her, but he couldn't quiet grasp what it was. He sat on the low stool next to her chair to try to get a better look at her, but she turned away from him.

"I say Leslie are you alright?" he asked mainly to try to get closer to her.

"Yes, thank you" she said, but she turned more into the shade and drew the wide brim of her hat closer to her face. "I am just so dreadfully hot and with all of the worry and waiting. I think it is beginning to get to me."

"But" Jonathan began when a sudden noise from outside the gate brought him to his feet. Both Ardeth and Falcon were at the gate before he had time to think about even going in that direction. When the gate burst inward Jonathan smiled broadly at his nephew and uncle as they barreled through with Oded in tow.

"Uncle Jon and Ardeth!" exclaimed Alex. "I can't say how wonderful it is to see both of you. Leslie and Falcon—we're here at last."

Alex seemed to be bursting with news and he couldn't get what he was saying out fast enough so that all that came out was a jumble. When the two older men joined the group under the trees Toby said, "Now Alex why don't we wait until we are settled? We can tell everyone our adventure then. Ardeth, my friend, may we have some tea and may we settle in here?"

"Of course, Sir Tobias" said Ardeth motioning to Falcon towards the house. "We have secured both these houses that face this patio for our stay. You and Alex will be in the house opposite where my family is staying."

"Thank you. I am afraid that I need a short time to rest after our excursion from France."

Falcon came from the larger house he had entered followed by a short woman carrying a large tray with a tea pot and cups and a man and young girl carrying trays with food.

"This is my sister-in-law Amina" Ardeth began to introduce the people coming toward them "and this is my brother Bahiti, and" he paused to bring the young girl into a short hug "my youngest daughter Sophia."

For the next several minutes tables and chairs were pulled together under the shade of the trees by a small fountain. The table was set and the food and tea put out for everyone to help themselves. It was a good, but quiet time as the friends all came together again. Everyone talked and laughed just in the relief that everyone was there, all except Leslie who hadn't moved from where she sat when the three men entered the courtyard.

Once everyone had at least a tea cup or plate in hand Jonathan asked Alex and his uncle about what had happened in France. "I take it" he said "that you didn't find Isabeau."

"Not at all" said Uncle Toby. "She stopped by to see a couple of her local friends that were in the area. Strangest thing that. When we landed at the British field there were people waiting for her as we came out of the office. It was a bit unnerving to say the least. I know that she hasn't had any contact with anyone since we left her home." Saying that he looked more closely at Leslie.

She was still sipping from a cup of tea that Amina had given her, but still hidden within the shade of the trees and her hat.

"If it wasn't for Isabeau and her magic" said Alex around a mouth full of food "we would never have made it away from the Germans."

"You were captured by the Germans?" asked Jonathan. "Is that why you were so late getting here?"

"No, we weren't captured, but we did have to fight them to get away and the good men that had brought us to Isabeau were killed in the fight so we had to find another way to get here—you might say" said Uncle Toby.

"And there was the Jewish family that Isabeau was hiding at her farm" said Alex. "Isabeau wouldn't leave with us until we found a safe way to get them out of the country" Alex said.

"Slow down Alex" said Uncle Toby. "It is going to take a few minutes to tell the tale and I want just a sip more of that tea. It is the first that I have had in weeks. Too much wine and wartime coffee."

As the group settled into another cup or tea or a piece of fruit or small cake Alexander relaxed into his favorite slouching lie on a rug at his great uncle's feet and began his story.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Alex AND Toby followed Isabeau out the back door and quickly walked to the old barn. As they approached the door slid back and a young man just a few years older than Alex came out.

"We are ready to leave Madame Fillet" he said turning to Isabeau "although Grandmother is still a little weak."

She introduced him as Jean Claude is the men and then hustled everyone into the barn and back out of site. There in the dark the small group of refugees huddled. Jean Claude went to a young woman holding the baby. There was also an older man and woman standing together, and another older man with his arm around an elderly woman.

"I am not going to introduce anyone to anyone else. It is enough that Jean Claude introduced himself, but I think it would be much better the less we all know of each other" said Isabeau. "We need to leave now"

As the group turned toward the door it was suddenly pushed open. Alex rushed toward the light to stop whoever was going to come in with the light hit the man standing in the doorway. It was one of the men that had brought him and Uncle Toby from the beach where they had landed.

"Hurry. The soldier are near' he said softly but with urgency is his voice. "They are looking for the family. They know they are here. Someone talked."

Quickly as they could everyone left the barn and followed behind the man that Alex had heard called Leon. They didn't go back toward the house and Alex wondered what they would do without any kind of supplies or even the small amount of baggage that they had come with and the only type of weapon that they had was the rifle carried by Isabeau and the walking stick that Uncle Toby always had with him these days.

They walked deeper into the small wood behind Isabeau's home, but Alex began to be aware of a low hum of noise coming from the left. He looked and through some of the trees he could see two cars parked along side of a roadway. Although the cars weren't immediately close Alex was well aware that if he could see them then they could probably see him if they looked hard enough.

He must have stopped because Uncle Toby touched him lightly on the arm and motioned for him to join the group that was a little in front of him and making for a darker and thicker grouping of trees. He turned to follow when someone very close to his left side said in English, "Please stop before my men stop you."

Alex turned toward the familiar voice.

Alex couldn't believe his eyes and squinted them to make sure of what or who he was seeing was really who he thought it was. Standing not ten feet from him leaning against a tree was his father. His father in a German uniform!

"How" Alex began, but quickly stopped as Uncle Toby grabbed his elbow and dug his nails hard into the skin.

"How did we know you were here?" Rick O'Connell asked. "Our sources told us that Lord Tobias was coming here to visit an old friend on a very important matter. We just let it all play out—so to speak and followed along not to far behind as you made you way stealthy or maybe not so stealthy here."

"You have us at a disadvantage" said Uncle Toby to Rick. "You seem to know who we are but, we do not know you or why you are following us."

Rick came closer toward them and he was now followed by four soldiers with guns. As they approached Isabeau and the family were being herded back toward them also by two more German soldiers.

"Let us not stand in the wood to talk" said Rick as motioned the group toward the way they had come from. As they began to walk that way one of the soldiers asked him something in German. Alex who's German was a bit rusty only caught the word car and Colonel.

"No" answered Rick in German "we will go to the farm house first to make sure that no one is still there and maybe to give us a chance to ask some questions before we turn them over to the Colonel. We could use a –how do the English say feather in our caps for finding these two and of course the Jews will be an extra bonus."

Alex gave Uncle Toby a quick look, but nothing showed on the old man's face. The group headed toward the farm house.


End file.
